Monday, August 24, 2015

One of the coolest things that popped up at SDCC 2015 was Super 7's Masters of the Universe and M.U.S.C.L.E. mash-up series M.O.T.U.S.C.L.E. The premise is simple: Take the beefed up Masters of the Universe characters and release them in the traditional M.U.S.C.L.E. style. M.U.S.C.L.E. is one of my favorite toylines ever (I love minifigures) as is MOTU, so this was a match that was right up my alley. I purchased these directly from Super 7's website and while they're sold out as of the writing of this article, they're supposed to continue releasing these. The packaging art featuring the red exploding rocks over a blue background is perfectly vintage MOTU while the style of the card and blister with the leaping He-Man is pure M.U.S.C.L.E. (M.U.S.C.L.E. and MOTU are both Mattel properties, so it's all good!). Each set comes with three figures and today I'm looking at the set which includes He-Man, Teela, and Man-At-Arms. Ready for a closer look? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 1 3/4-1 7/8ths inches

Non-Scalper Price: $6

The Positives:

* These figures are clearly based on the vintage toyline rather than the Filmation cartoon or the Masters of the Universe Classics line. He-Man has his power sword and shield out and ready for battle! The sword is a bit odd looking but the detail on his shoes, boots, and harness are quite nice.

*Teela is decked out in her serpent battle armor and is wielding her serpent staff (AKA the staff of Ka). If you consider these official M.U.S.C.L.E. figures (since Mattel licensed them out) then, as far as I'm aware, Teela is the first female M.U.S.C.L.E. I was a bit concerned that her staff would be brittle or bent but it seems to be just fine.

*Man-At-Arms looks fantastic and very M.U.S.C.U.L.ar. The details on his armor are quite crisp and sharp for the scale. The way his arm is positioned too with his mace held high definitely works for mimicking the original little pink rubber wrestlers. I like the decision to make his "mask" higher to cover more of his face, too. It gives him a bit more of a mysterious aura.

The Negatives:

*The color on these is a bit off. Not a complete miss, but I wish they weren't as shiny as they are. Compare He-Man to some vintage M.U.S.C.L.E. figures and you'll notice the difference. Most lines crafting pink minifigures try to adhere to the established M.U.S.C.L.E. shade as closely as possible. Hopefully Super 7 will nail it the next time around.

* The shininess might be due to the fact that these figures are kind of rubbery. While the vintage M.U.S.C.L.E. figures were a little bit pliable, these guys can be bent very easily. They're even a bit more rubbery than Monster in My Pocket minis. I hope that in the future Super 7 finds a way to make the MOTU guys sturdier.

* One of the selling points of the vintage MOTU line (and even MOTUC) was that the figures were visibly chunkier and beefier than everything else on the market. It's odd, then, that Super 7 made the M.O.T.U.S.C.L.E. figures a bit scrawnier than the standard M.U.S.C.L.E. guys. The proportions aren't the same nor is the size of their footprint. M.U.S.C.L.E.s tended to have large feet to keep them standing but these guys have small feet and tip over easily.

I like these guys. I really do! I just wish that Super 7 would consider making some changes in the future. The color isn't quite right (it's closer to the bootleg M.U.S.C.L.E. figures you could find in vending machines), the plastic is too rubbery, and the proportions aren't right. Since these seek to emulate vintage toys, I feel it's completely justified that Super 7 continue to work on capturing the aesthetics of true M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. These are fun and I'm sure minifigure and MOTU fans will enjoy them, but they still need some work to hang with the big boys. Overall I'm giving them a Good rating.